March 2 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence met again with National Rifle Association lobbyists at the White House late Thursday, the second time in less than a week the president has met with the controversial group.
The closed meeting came one day after Trump met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to discuss gun control.
“Good (Great) meeting in the Oval Office tonight with the NRA!” Trump tweeted.
NRA executive director Chris Cox also tweeted about the meeting, “We all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people. [Trump and Pence] support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don’t want gun control.”
Trump said Wednesday he supports expanding background checks and raising the age limit for certain rifle purchases, something the NRA opposes.
“Fascinating, since I assume the President told them about the support for universal background checks, raising age for rifle purchases, and protective orders he announced on TV yesterday,” Sen. Chris Murphy. D-Conn., said in a tweet.
During the meeting Wednesday, the president and lawmakers hashed out ideas for gun control legislation in response to the shooting attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School near Miami last month.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, REI joined a growing list of companies that are taking a stance on gun violence.The outdoor retailer does not sell guns but is putting a hold on selling products from companies owned by Vista Outdoor, a parent to many brands including Savage Arms, a company that produces firearms.
“We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work towards common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month,” according to the statement. “In the last few days, we’ve seen such action from companies like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart and we applaud their leadership.”
REI has been in active discussions with Vista Outdoor, which has recently acquired companies that are longtime partners of REI including Giro, Bell, Camelbak, Camp Chef and Blackburn.
“This morning we learned that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action. As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds,” the statement read. “Companies are showing they can contribute if they are willing to lead. We encourage Vista to do just that.”
